Can Green and Turner Pascrell Greenstein?

Assemblyman Jerry Green’s (D-22) politically titillating Trenton-Plainfield united front suggests a Pascrellization of state Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-14), a suburban lawmaker who wants to run for the seat being vacated by the retirement of U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12).

Green said he’s open to an all-urban alliance.

That means “Shirley Turner’s the wild card,” said Patrick Murray, political scientist and pollster for Monmouth University, referring to the 15th Distict state senator from Lawrenceville who represents Trenton.

Or Green, if he decides to run and gets Turner to back him, in part in the name of greater representation for urban voters.

If Green and Turner forge a Union-Mercer partnership, state Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-14) of Middlesex could find herself in the unwitting suburban role of Bergen County’s U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, paved over in the 2012 Democratic Primary by Paterson’s U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell.

Murray noted that Greenstein’s challenge gets more complicated by the possibility of Assemblyman Upednra Chivukula (D-17) jumping in the race and making a strong suburban play.

But Greenstein’s allies point out that the problem with the scenario is that, in this case, the 12th District’s version of Pascrell happens to live in the suburbs.

Battle-tested like no other state senator in New Jersey, the Brooklyn-raised Greenstein campaigns like Pascrell.

The other challenge for Turner is the possible presence in the contest of her ticketmate, fellow Mercer County resident Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15), who’s interested in the seat.

If Greenstein is the only candidate out of Middlesex against a mangled Mercer, she would an edge in a Democratic Primary.